Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy takes place with individuals, groups and with children; it endeavours to facilitate understanding of underlying, often unconscious, sources of a person’s distress or disturbance. A therapeutic setting provides support and containment for difficult emotions and facilitates the exploration and expression of aspects of a client’s problems or conflicts which may be outside everyday awareness, and which often originate from--sometimes forgotten-- early experiences and ways of coping, and which may adversely influence current life. Self-reflection in the safe and supportive setting of the therapist -client relationship enables the individual to process their difficulties in a way which promotes the possibility of greater emotional freedom to make constructive life choices.

It is aimed at achieving a new and better understanding of long-standing difficulties.

The Psychoanalytic Section is a member of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy, and is composed of seven organisations: